Don't Touch Charger unplugged alarm: a siren when someone pulls your phone's cable
Plug your iPhone in, make sure Charger Alarm is on (it is by default), then tap ARM. Pull the cable while it's armed and the siren starts, logged as "Charger unplugged". One thing trips people up: the phone must already be charging the moment you arm it, or there's nothing to unplug and the guard just sits there doing nothing.
Why a charging phone needs its own alarm
Shared outlets at airports, cafes and libraries are where phones sit alone the longest. The cable ties it to the wall, so taking the phone means pulling the plug first, and that's the one move you can't avoid making.
It also covers you where motion struggles. A vibrating counter or a table people keep bumping forces you to turn sensitivity down, but the cable trigger stays sharp either way.
How to set up the charger unplug alarm
- Open Settings in Don't Touch and check that Charger Alarm is switched on.
- Plug the phone into the charger and wait until iOS shows it is charging.
- Go back and tap ARM, then put the phone down during the countdown.
- Read the guard line: with motion and charger both active it shows "Motion · Charger guards active".
- Leave the app open with the screen on. When you are back, tap DISARM and enter your PIN before you unplug.
How the app decides the cable was pulled
The guard watches the phone's battery state. At arming it records whether the phone is plugged in. It fires only on a change from plugged in to unplugged that happens after that moment.
| At the moment you tap ARM | What happens next | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Charging | Cable pulled out | Siren, reason "Charger unplugged" |
| Charging | Cable stays in | No trigger from this guard |
| Not charging | Cable plugged in, then pulled | No trigger: the guard was never active |
| Not charging | Nothing | Guard inactive; motion (and pocket, if on) still work |
This is on purpose: a phone armed without a cable can never be tripped by this guard, so there is no false alarm from a battery reading that flickers.
Common mistakes
- Arming, then plugging in. Order matters here: the app only guards a cable that was already there when you tapped ARM.
- Turning the switch off and forgetting about it. If the guard line shows fewer guards than you expect, check Charger Alarm in Settings.
- A loose cable or a worn port. A brief connection drop can set the siren off for no reason at all.
- Walking off with the app in the background. Like the other guards, this one only runs while the app is open and armed.
Combine it with the motion guard
On a solid desk, keep both on: someone who lifts the phone without unplugging trips motion, and someone who pulls the cable trips the charger guard. Where the surface shakes, lower Motion Sensitivity and let the cable do most of the work.
Questions and answers
Is there an alarm for when my charger is unplugged?
Why didn't the charger alarm go off?
Does it work with wireless chargers?
Can I use only the charger alarm without motion?
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